The Hurt Locker

Synopsis

During the Iraq War, a reckless maverick is brought in to head an elite bomb disposal squad during their final weeks, as tensions mount and the unit is plunged into chaos. Kathryn Bigelow became the first woman to win the Best Director Oscar for this harrowing war film.

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I missed the depth. It plays on the macho / hero theme just like any other war film, except that it wasn't a normal soldier we follow this time. The interesting, and gripping, part - namely their mental breakdown into PTSD - comes too late to give the film a special angle. The one thing I liked about the whole film was the ending.

Overrated and uneven, but still one of the better American war movies of recent years. Worth watching for a number of superbly-crafted suspense sequences, really some fine filmmaking, but it doesn't quite hold up as a whole. The loose plot especially looses its way in a credibility-stretching second half. Strong performances and an effective tense atmosphere, but a disappointment considering the accolades it got.

A horror movie with a very interesting twist: in typical horror, when the face of the monster is revealed, the fear disappates and the resolution begins. Here, the recognition of the monster is met with increased paranoia and anxiety as the soldiers gradually acclimatize to the fact that the enemies are walking right up to them and shaking their hands. --DiB

Classic Oscar winner. The right place at the right time. This year its the combination of the controversial Iraq war and female director... Technically well executed movie with a weak and forced screenplay. Nothing more really

This film is seriously over-rated. Yes, it's gripping and suspenseful and I personally like that it's made by a female director who can formally outdo most other action movie counterparts.... but Bigelow's portrayal of Iraqi civilians is as bad as the Fox 11 news... they are reduced to being bumbling foreigners, most of the time blurred in the distance. Had she given them more of a voice--the film would have worked

A bunch of random sequences that ending being anticlimactic (perhaps a metaphor for war itself). The performances were decent, though Pearce & Fiennes showed the most charisma (they weren't onscreen for that long). There is an immediacy to way the film was shot, but it feels wasted in the end...really disappointed by this

"You love playing with all your stuffed animals. You love your pajamas. You love everything, don't ya? But you know what, buddy? As you get older, some of the things you love might not seem so special anymore. And the older you get, the fewer things you really love. And by the time you get to my age, maybe it's only one or two things. With me, I think it's one." -Staff Sergeant William James